How to Beat the Heat

Hopefully, you’ve all had a chance to cool off at the pool, beach, lake, or river this summer. But this July is shaping up to be seriously hot —we're talking about dangerously, oppressively, swelteringly hot— and we’re all looking for some sweet relief to beat the heat.

It is just as important to conserve water OUTSIDE your home as it is INSIDE your home. Lush green lawns, bright colorful flower gardens, bountiful vegetable harvests —these add beauty and enjoyment to your home. But grass and flowers and vegetables require water, and they can sometimes consume massive amounts of this precious natural resource. So how can you water wisely? How can you conserve water in your yard?

Did you know that May 6-12, is Drinking Water Week? A week to celebrate WATER!May 6 kicks off this year’s Drinking Water Week with an invitation to “Protect the Source." "The American Water Works Association and the water community across North America will celebrate Drinking Water Week by recognizing the vital role drinking water plays in our daily lives, and how we can take personal responsibility in caring for our tap water and protecting it at its source. “When we get to know our local drinking water sources, we come to understand that it is our duty as consumers and community stewards to protect and preserve them,” said AWWA Chief Executive Officer David LaFrance. “Drinking Water Week provides a great opportunity to learn the various ways in which we can each protect our source water so it’s available for future generations.” AWWA

Valuing and protecting our natural resources is more than just a nice idea; it’s a global necessity. And one crucial way of ensuring a future in which every child has clean water to drink is by teaching those children to conserve and care for our resources— right now. The folks at Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) are committed to doing exactly that. They “envision a world in which action-oriented education enables every child to understand and value water, ensuring a sustainable future.” Project WET is working hard to “develop and deliver the world's best water education resources, organize special water events, manage a worldwide network of local implementing partners and advocate for the role of water education in solving the world's most pressing water issues.” Project WET

Mark your calendars, folks: March 19-25 is the EPA's tenth annual Fix a Leak Week. Household leaks can waste more than 1 TRILLION gallons of water each year. Yes, 1 TRILLION—That's a one with 12 zeros behind it (1,000,000,000,000). Those drippy faucets and leaking toilets are more than an annoyance; they cost you lots of money, and they waste LOTS of water. So, this March, hunt down those drips! Chase those leaks!

Chapped lips? Dry skin? Headaches? Nosebleeds? Dry cough? Fatigue?

These are all signs that you might not be getting enough water this winter. In the summer, when you’re hot and sweaty, your body keeps reminding you that you’re thirsty and NEED water. But in the winter, when you’re cold and shivering, it’s all-too-easy to neglect hydration. Your body doesn’t feel as thirsty, and it’s much harder to recognize that you haven’t been drinking much water. That’s why you have to consciously remember to drink enough water in the winter, when the air is dry and the heater is working overtime.

Bad news isn't hard to find.

Hurricanes, wildfires, mass shootings, terrorist attacks. Bad news fills the front page, and good news is often relegated to the small print. But there is plenty of good news out there! Sometimes you just have to look for it. There are positive stories, hopeful stories, inspiring stories, and they’re all around —in your town, in your neighborhood, and all across the globe.

Just take a look at a few of the stories from 2017 that you might have missed . . .

It IS the season. For sharing. For caring. For giving — of your time, your resources, your abilities. For sharing your table with family, friends, neighbors. This holiday season, as we reflect on the gifts we’ve been given, may we be eager to give, and eager to bestow acts of kindness on our loved ones, or even on strangers in need.

Ruth Ebenstein, an American-Israeli writer, relates a story of a Christmas Eve in 1944, a Christmas Eve that her grandmother, uncle, and mother spent in a concentration camp in Austria, on the verge of starvation. Ruth’s mother, who was only three years old, could not even leave the bed because she had no shoes to wear. Late that Christmas Eve night, Ruth’s uncle Gyuri, a young boy of 12 at the time, snuck out of the concentration camp and walked four miles to the nearest town. When he arrived in Deutsch-Wagram, he came upon a house and, knocking at the door, he begged the sleepy woman who answered for some food for his family. She whispered, “Come back tomorrow.” When Gyuri returned on Christmas day, the smiling Austrian lady gave him food, clothing, shoes, and warm woolen socks that she had knitted for his young sister.

On November 11 of 1918, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11thmonth, an armistice went into effect, a cessation of hostilities between the Allied Nations and Germany, ending the “war to end all wars.” The official end of World War I would not be declared for seven more months, at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, but the end actually came on that November day, when the truce was signed, the opposing forces laid down their weapons, and the war known as the “Great War” was over. Now, all over the world, people set aside this day, November 11, to honor those who have served their countries well —bravely and selflessly.

Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Veterans Day. A day to honor all those who have served.

As the days grow shorter and the nights grow colder; as long, languid summer melts into crisp, cool autumn; as nature takes on russet hues and puts on fancy dress; as you marvel at the beauty of the season, don’t forget to look up. One of nature’s great marvels is the show in the sky as the birds of North America migrate south. Migration is the annual movement of birds, often north and south along a flyway, between their breeding grounds and their wintering grounds. One of the best known, and certainly the most familiar, of North America’s migrators is the Canada (not “Canadian”) Goose (Branta canadensis). The impressive V-formations of Canada geese flying south are seen all over North America; indeed, Canada geese are found in every one of the contiguous United States and every Canadian province. However, they are not our only journeying birds. “Of the more than 650 species of North American breeding birds, more than half are migratory.” Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Alerts

ALERTS

Subscribe to the Website

Name:

1. Receive our News, Projects and ALERTS via Email:

Email:

2. Receive ALERTS via Text Message:

Cell Phone #:

(Enter 10 Digit Cell Number xxx-xxx-xxxx)

Carrier:

Your Name:

E-mail correspondence is maintained in accordance with applicable provisions of State law and may be considered public records. Public disclosure of your communication may be required. Message and Data Rates May Apply.